Nothing in my supers

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terry jones

New Bee
Joined
Jul 8, 2010
Messages
42
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0
Location
Shrewsbury
Hive Type
National
Number of Hives
2
Brood box is full but they will not build out the supers.
Any idea how I can encourage them, I have tried putting the brood box above the super for a week still no sign of any comb.
Also fed them a couple of times
 
How many times as this question been asked lately?

Don't expect nothing in your supers until next spring. The honey season is mostly over, save for balsam and heather.

Plants and trees mostly flower in spring if people haven't noticed.
 
everything is late this year, plus my bees were bringing in honey until October last year. I think there is a difference between rural and urban conditions. Many flowers haven't flowered yet and balsam is only just starting.
 
Balsam has just got going here - the bees are very active and coming back with the characteristic pollen stripe.

There's quite a lot of Japanese Knot Weed round here too - not in flower yet - but lots of buds so will flower soon. Do bees use it?
 
my bees were bringing a large amount of stores until the end of september last year (rural bees)

The flow appears to have ebbed a lot in the last couple of weeks, now with very few bees flying. They were bringing in about 4lb a day two weeks ago and now very little.

Regarding the super building, you are not alone. I have one colony that also will not build comb in the Super. This hive is next to a couple of others who both have built a couple of supers over the same timescales until a couple of weeks ago (when the flow ebbed).

I removed the QX, but still will not build upstairs. I think the only reason they are now up there is because there is now not enough room downstairs to sleep. It is a large colony occupying a 14x12.

I have changed supers, sprayed with syrup but will still not build. I have even placed a drawn super upstairs, but they will not fill it.
If I replace a 14x12 frame from downstairs, they will draw it and start laying eggs by the next inspection.

... if they continue I will change the design of their hive!
 
MB,

I wouldn't say nothing. I am expecting some late nectar filling the combs shortly, even from the new colonies of the year.

Considering that I expect most will fill the brood box long before they need to - but all mine are on 14 x 12s so that is equivalent to a standard brood and a super. Just that one cannot guarantee it. That is without feeding a skerret of sugar (other than the A/S halves with lots of larvae and with few flying bees -to just to get them over those first few days until the new queen hatches, ie no more open brood, and after I 'allow' them to build up the flying bees numbers after the risk of a secodary swarm has passed).

Note I said combs - They will be filling drawn comb at this time of the season.

Now a new colony (from a nuc), without enough bees 'cos they've been 'storing' instead of brooding so never get a surplus foraging force and similarly not enough wax builders (other than for enough wax for the unecesssary storage space for the feed given) either, until too late in the season, you are likely correct. Spot on even. A lot of nucs were relatively late starters this season due to the weather, of course.

People don't consider the time delays in the brooding cycle and the time before those bees become wax builders and, later, foragers; and how diverting the house bees from brooding to these 'other duties' has a knock-on effect on brooding.

In days long gone, it seems, when a new beek learned the ropes from a beekeeper who sub-conciously knew what to feed and when to feed, the new beek had time to pick up the finer points.

Recently there has been this explosion in new beeks and they are taking advice 'to feed' meaning just do it, and do it, and do it.

Then they are 'amazed' and 'proud' of themselves when they have umpteen drawn combs and think that is successful beekeeping, without giving a passing thought as to what the bees actually needed for colony expansion.

Also, no 'olde tymer' looking over their shoulder and quietly pointing out the errors in their beekeeping, or asking the simple questions to make his protégé think through, and work out, the signs and symptoms of the brooding situation. A simple ten lesson course and straight in these days. Likely in at the deep end.

Sorry, but there are a lot out there that don't think of all the rammifications of their actions. Not meaning to pick on new beeks, but every new beek should be working out what to do, and asking themselves questions as to why they are carrying out any particular procedure. There are some who may have been keeping for sometime with very set ways of doing things. Wood/poly/plastic comes to mind, as does framed/TBH types of beetainer. And of course the bees usually put right most of our mistakes so sometimes those mistakes are not even acknowledged.

If the new beeks simply heeded the 47 years experience of Finman and the combined 'hive years' of the more 'senior' members (and I don't include myself in that group after only a decade keeping bees), they would not go anywhere nearly as far wrong as some seem to be doing of late. End of rant.

Regards, RAB
 
How many times as this question been asked lately?

Don't expect nothing in your supers until next spring. The honey season is mostly over, save for balsam and heather.

Depends on where you live. If you live in London there'll be plenty around in autumn.
 
.....they would not go anywhere nearly as far wrong as some seem to be doing of late. End of rant. Regards, RAB

:chillpill::chillpill::chillpill:

You sound cross. Calm and patience is what we need to help learning.

Rab, it is true that there are beeks on here who know a lot and some who know less. People new to beekeeping are doing it for good reasons. I want to be able to learn through asking questions as I have done on here for quite a while. I support and want to encourage everyone to do this.:party:

Whilst I agree that some of us has become over preoccupied with getting supers drawn and in feeding syrup, that doesn't mean that anyone should be getting snappy with them.

Feel the love.

Karin
 
I think I can understand RAB attitude towards the new breed of beekeepers.
It does seem like it's very PC to have a hive.
Personally being in my fifties and looking towards a long term hobby and not after dinner party small talk I don't feel like the new breed.
Just want to understand whats the best way to look after my bees and i'm not particularly bothered about harvesting honey.::nopity:
 
I think I can understand RAB attitude towards the new breed of beekeepers.
It does seem like it's very PC to have a hive.
Personally being in my fifties and looking towards a long term hobby and not after dinner party small talk I don't feel like the new breed.
Just want to understand whats the best way to look after my bees and i'm not particularly bothered about harvesting honey.::nopity:
 
I totally agree with you Terry. Before I got my bees I did my preliminary bee keeping course and read as much as I could. But untill I actually got my own hive set up, a lot of things which seemed complicated became clear. I have only had the bees for less than 2 months and have tons to learn. I really appreciate all the help and advice I am getting here. I am also in my 50s and only now have the time -and money to start looking after bees. I have wanted to do so for as long as I can remember. Its good to have advice from experts and also to hear from new beekeepers. I think its good to learn new things no matter how old you are or how much of an expert you are. I am also not to stressed about getting honey.
But as I said THANK YOU to everyone who takes the time to give help and advice in the forum it is so useful!!
 

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